PATTAO NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

Senior High School Department

Pattao, Buguey, Cagayan

Banana Stem Fiber: An Alternative Raw Material For Making Fiberboard

A Capstone Project Presented to the Senior High School

Faculty of Pattao National High School
_____________________

In Partial Fulfilment
of the Requirement for the Senior High school
Work Immersion

_____________________

Presented by:

CARL JERIC URBINA

JOHN PHILIP LOSAURA
TRISHA TRANQUILO
RALPH CHRISTIAN SEGUI
ALISTAIRE RACADIO
MTWO PACIS
HADJI MARC DELA CRUZ
DENMERL BALANZA

Grade 12 STEM
S.Y. 2021-2022

Banana Stem Fiber: An Alternative Raw Material For Making Fiberboard | 1

 PATTAO NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL
Senior High School Department
Pattao, Buguey, Cagayan

CHAPTER 1

Introduction
Background of the Study

Banana stems are botanically a part of the Musa genus and are actually a
flower stalk of a large, herbaceous plant belonging to the Musaceae family. The pseudo-
stem is the part of the banana plant that looks like a trunk. It is formed by the tightly
packed overlapping leaf sheaths.

The banana stems are considered waste from the banana industry after the
banana fruit are harvested and the banana plants are pruned. According to the
Philippine Statistics Authority of Region 2, Cagayan Valley is one of the top producers of
banana in the country, in 2020, an estimate of 421,630 metric tons was produced from
major fruit, banana, about 13.2 percent increase from the 2019 production of 372,327
metric tons, or an increase by 49,303 metric tons. These amounts of bananas produced
per day or month can contribute to the agricultural sector and economy of the region.
However, after a plant has fruited and harvested, it is cut down to the ground because
each trunk produces only one bunch of fruit. The stems of the banana that have been
cut down are then left to rot and are considered waste from the banana industry, these
can cause problems to the environment if it is not properly managed or disposed.
Because if they are dumped in wet conditions or burned, it can produce greenhouse
gases which can cause a problem to the environment.

These wastes contain a high content of paramount industrial importance,

such as cellulose, hemicellulose and natural fibers that various processes can modify,
such as bacterial fermentation and anaerobic degradation, to obtain bioplastics, organic
fertilizers and biofuels such as ethanol, biogas, hydrogen and biodiesel (Acevedo, 2021).
There are many things that banana waste can produce if it is properly utilized, but in our
study, we chose the fiberboard with banana fiber as the raw material. The goal of our
study is to utilize these banana stem wastes by making them into fiberboard that can be
used for furniture, ceilings and much more. This will be beneficial to farmers because
their incomes will increase; it will also have an economic impact because it will provide
jobs for rural people and minimize deforestation and pollution because this initiative will
demand more bananas and less trees. We should utilize these banana stem considered
waste from the banana industry to reduce economic and environmental problems.

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 PATTAO NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL
Senior High School Department
Pattao, Buguey, Cagayan

Research Paradigm

Input Process Output

Different fiberboards Testing the durability Evaluation and

with varying banana of the fiberboards with improvement of
fiber and resin varying concentrations results.
concentration. in terms of:
Difference in the
a. .5 g banana fiber – - Moisture water absorption and
16oz epoxy Absorption tensile strength of the
resin, .75oz hardener - Tensile fiberboards.
Strength
b. 1g banana fiber –
9.5oz epoxy
resin, .50oz hardener
c. 1.5g banana fiber –
8oz epoxy resin, .25oz
hardener

Conceptual Framework

This study is supported by the Republic Act No. 3850 where researchers,
inventors and scientists were allowed to conduct or to create inventions that can address
simplest and most complicated daily problems. The Republic Act No. 3850 or the
“Philippine Inventors Incentives Act”, which was signed on April 13, 1964, created a
Philippine Inventors Commission, to promote and encourage the creation and
manufacture of Philippine Invention. The law promotes and supports the welfare of the
country’s critical mass of scientific workforce and human capital through the provision
and technical administrative assistance from TAPI and other government agencies as
well as giving financial support. These may motivate inventors to pursue their research
and create something useful for the country.

As stated in the Rights and Obligations of the Community-Based Forest Manager

(CBFM), the CBFM can harvest, process, sell or otherwise utilize the products grown by
him/her on land covered by the CBFMA. The banana stems we used in our study were
obtained from our own area and the banana stems we used are just the waste that we
utilized to make fiberboard. The aim of our study is to utilize waste considered parts of
the banana tree after the bananas were harvested.

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 PATTAO NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL
Senior High School Department
Pattao, Buguey, Cagayan

Statement of the Objectives

Generally, the aim of this study is to establish the suitability of banana stem
as a potential source of fibers for making fiberboard.

Specific study objectives are:

a. To test the durability of different banana peel fiberboards with varying banana
fiber and polymer resin mixed with hardener concentration.
- .5g banana fiber – 16oz epoxy resin, .75oz hardener
- 1g banana fiber – 9.5oz epoxy resin, .50oz hardener
- 1.5g banana fiber – 8oz epoxy resin, .25oz hardener
b. Is there a significant difference in the durability of banana peel fiberboard using
different concentrations of banana fiber and epoxy resin mixed with hardener?

Statement of the Hypothesis

Ho; There is no significant difference in the quality of fiberboard mixed with different
concentrations of banana fiber and polymer resin.

Significance of the Study

This study aims to provide valuable information on how to properly utilize the
banana stem that are considered waste material on the making of fiberboard using the
fiber that comes from the banana.

For the agricultural sector, banana fiber is the primary component of the board, it
will consume a large portion of the banana industry's agricultural demand, the study's
findings will be tremendously beneficial to the agricultural sector.

For the Environment, climate change, pollution, and global warming are all
important threats to humanity, so this study was beneficial to the environment. It would
take the place of non-recyclable materials, which are harmful to the environment.
Furthermore, the utilization of banana stems in fiberboard production can significantly
minimize waste because these “banana stem considered waste” in the banana industry
will be used to create a banana stem fiberboard.

For future researchers, this study would provide and guide the future
researchers in conducting research on banana stem fiber related studies.

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 PATTAO NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL
Senior High School Department
Pattao, Buguey, Cagayan

Scope and Delimitation

This study will focus on determining the effectiveness of banana fiber in making
fiberboard. This project aims to utilize the banana stem considered waste from the
banana industry. The product will be made out of banana stem as the raw material and
polymer resin and hardener as the binder. The sources of banana stem are from grown
banana plants from Zone Sampaguita 071 Pattao, Buguey, Cagayan.

This is study is limited only to crafting fiberboard out of banana pseudo-stem

fiber, the banana fiber is extracted only in the stem part of a banana, the product is
limited only to durability test with three different concentrations of banana stem
fiberboard a. .5g banana fiber – 16oz epoxy resin, .75oz hardener b. 1g banana fiber –
9.5oz epoxy resin, .50oz hardener c. 1.5g banana fiber – 8oz epoxy resin, .25oz
hardener

Definition of Key Terms

Banana-stem – it is where the banana fiber can be extracted.

Fiber – it is the primary material in the making the fiberboard.

Fiberboard – a building material made by pressing fibers of wood or other plant fibers
into stiff sheets that is widely used for construction.

Polymer Resin – is it the adhesive used as a binder of the fiber.

Tensile Strength & Moisture Absorption – test that will be used to test the durability of
the fiberboard.

Blower – it is used to dry the banana fiber that has been extracted from the banana
stem.

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 PATTAO NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL
Senior High School Department
Pattao, Buguey, Cagayan

Chapter 2

Review of Related Literature

This chapter represents of the definition of banana stem fiberboard, physical

and mechanical properties, advantages of using banana stem as fiberboards, its
importance and conclusions. Those that were included in this chapter are relevant and
similar to the present study.
Related Literature

I. Characteristics of fiber material for fiberboard

Different fibers have different characteristics. The length of a single unit of the
fiber - the staple - can determine many things about the thread you will get. Fibers
feature strength, crispiness, resistance to stretching and shrinkage, washable or dry-
cleanable, quick-drying, resiliency, wrinkle-resistant, excellent pleat retention (if heat-
set), and abrasion-resistant which is a good ingredient for fiber-facturing (“Fiber
Characteristics”, 2022).

Banana fibers are generally lignocelluloses material, consisting of helically

wound cellulose, micro-fibrils in amorphous matrix of lignin and hemicelluloses. The
cellulose content serves as a deciding factor for mechanical properties along with micro
fibril-angle. A high cellulose content and low micro-fibril angle impart desirable
mechanical properties for banana fibers. Lignin is associated with the hemicelluloses
and play an important role in the natural decay resistance of the lignocelluloses material
(Mostafa & Uddin, 2015).

II. Advantages and Disadvantages of Using banana fiber

Banana fibers have their own assets and liabilities that can cause a fiberboard
material to be strong and weak. Banana fibers are recyclable, low cost, renewable
resources, eco-friendly, low density, high specific mechanical properties, good thermal
and acoustics isolation, and non-abrasive which are the advantages of the banana fiber.
But banana fibers have hydrophilic behavior, anisotropic behavior, and dimensional
instability which are the banana fibers' disadvantages (Celino et al. 2013).

The use of cellulose fiber from the forest and agricultural residues has many
advantages, such as environmental friendliness, recyclability, and low cost or even free
raw material. Banana fiber is a good alternative to all the synthetic and natural fibers.
Banana fiber is eco-friendly, chemical-free, non-toxic and odour-free. The natural coolant

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 PATTAO NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL
Senior High School Department
Pattao, Buguey, Cagayan

and medicinal property of banana fibers helps in the health of its user and is 100 per
cent safe as no harmful chemicals and colours are used (Kaur, 2015).

III. Composition of banana fiber

The chemical composition of banana fiber is cellulose, hemicellulose, and

lignin. Mechanical properties of fiber Cultivar influence on physical properties of pseudo-
stem and peduncle fibers: Tex and Diameter decide the fineness of the fibers. Tex is a
measurement of the linear density of fibers, which decides the fineness of fiber (Preethi
& Balakrishna, 2013).

Banana fibers have the typical composition of fibers obtained from

lignocellulosic by-products and contain about 50 % cellulose, 17 % lignin, and 4 % ash.
However, the composition of the banana fibers reported varies widely, and fibers with
lignin content as high as 17 % have been reported. In addition to the stem, fibers have
also been obtained from the leaf and rachis of the banana plant (Reddy & Yang, 2014)

IV. Durability of using banana fiber in making fiberboard

The pseudo-stem is cylindrical in shape, where the leaf stalk bases are in
clustered aggregation. Banana fiber is the best among other fibers and has good
mechanical properties. The specific strength properties of banana fibers are better than
other conventional fibers. Banana fibers have light weight, fire resistance quality, high
strength, smaller elongation, biodegradability, great potentialities and robust moisture
absorption quality. Banana fibers are also utilized for manufacturing paper bags, crafts,
filter paper lamp stands, decorative items, composite stuffs, greeting cards, pen stands,
rope and mats etc., The life span of banana fibers is about 100 years and it’s the
strongest of all other long fibers. Banana fibers can be folded 3,000 times (Bhatnagar et
al. 2015).

The use of banana fiber can be especially promising as a natural

reinforcement in the production of parts subjected to bending loads, which is one of the
most common load cases. However, it is important to note that the effects produced by
the reinforcement can vary depending on the matrix used, and especially in the quality
and uniformity of the fiber used (Kusic et al. 2020).

Studies on the durability of banana pseudo-stem fiber have been carried out
at the Center of Study for Natural Fiber and Natural Dyes (CSNFD) at the Department of
Chemical Engineering, Concentration Textile Engineering, Universitas Islam Indonesia
(UII). The studies showed that the durability of banana pseudo-stem fiber can stay up to
3 months of storage. However, if the storage period of the fiber is longer than 3 months,
the strength of the fiber is considerably decreased. Furthermore, banana pseudo-stem
fibers are biodegradable, and thus can be categorized as environmentally friendly.
Banana pseudo-stem fiber can be spun using almost any method of spinning, such as

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 PATTAO NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL
Senior High School Department
Pattao, Buguey, Cagayan

open-end spinning, ring-spinning, bast fiber spinning, and semi-worsted spinning

(Subagyo & Chafidz, 2018).

CHAPTER 3

Materials and Methods

This chapter presents the research methodologies and materials used in the
study. This includes the research design, locale of the study, research and
instrumentation, materials, equipment and procedure used in the fabrication of the
Banana Stem Fiberboard.

I. Research Design

This research employs the experimental design utilizing the quasi –

experimental type. Quasi – experimental is a quantitative method of research in which
you have two or more quantitative variables from the same group of subjects and
independent variable that can be manipulated. This design will be used since the main
purpose of the study is to determine the suitability of banana stem fiber as a fiber source
for making fiberboard. The independent variables will be manipulated to create a durable
banana stem fiberboard.

II. Locale of the Study

This study will be conducted at Zone Dahlia, Pattao, Buguey, Cagayan. The
banana stem (Pseudo-stem) will be gathered from grown banana plants from Zone
Sampaguita 071 Pattao, Buguey, Cagayan with enough amount of these banana stems
to be used in our study. Extractions of banana fiber will be done at Zone Dahlia and
these fibers will be utilized to make a fiberboard.

III. Research and Instrumentation

A. Materials

The experiments were conducted using banana stem with the length: .75m,
diameter .15m, it is where the banana fibers were extracted. Different concentrations of
polymer resin mixed with hardener. Colorless floor wax so that the board will not stick to
the molder.

B. Equipment/ Apparatus and Utensils

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 PATTAO NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL
Senior High School Department
Pattao, Buguey, Cagayan

We used hot air blower to dry the banana fiber that has been extracted from the
stem. Bolo knife to cut the banana stems into strips. Stems were pounded using
hammer. We manually scrape the stems using scraper and fork to extract the fiber.
Plastic cup is where the polymer and the hardener will be mixed and molder where the
mixed banana fiber and binder will be molded.

IV. Procedure

A. Preparation

The banana stem was gathered at Zone Sampaguita Pattao, Buguey,

Cagayan. This banana fiber is the primary material used to make a banana stem
fiberboard. The two binders namely epoxy resin and hardener are bought from
Aparri, Cagayan.

B. Set-Up
After the banana stem (.75m long and .15m diameter) is gathered, cut it to
small strips for at least 30” x3” so that the fiber can be easily extracted. Using a
mallet, pound the stem strips until fibers were shown. Manually scrape it with a fork
to extract the fiber. The fiber that has been extracted from the banana peel will be
squeezed to remove the water from the banana stem. Then put it into the container
and blower it until it is completely dry. Put wax and spread it on the molder to be
used so that the board will not stick to the molder. The dried fiber that has been
extracted will be weighed using a weighing scale. Get 1gram of dry banana fiber and
arrange it properly into the molder (24cm×15cm). Mix the 16oz epoxy resin with 1
plastic spoon of hardener. Then pour it into the molder that has banana fiber. Use a
stick to elevate the banana fiber on the top. Wait for the binder to hardened. The
fiberboard can now be removed from the molder and ready for durability testing.

C. Testing
The durability of different concentrations of the banana stem fiberboard will
be tested using water absorption and tensile strength test of the board. The
researchers will record the test results of the fiberboards. Test results will determine
the durability of the fiberboard as a wood material for furniture and other uses of
fiberboard.

D. Statistical Treatment

The researcher will use one-way ANOVA to test the durability of the finished
product.

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 PATTAO NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL
Senior High School Department
Pattao, Buguey, Cagayan

References:
(1)http://rsso02.psa.gov.ph/article/banana-production-pulled-fruit-crops-output-cagayan-
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%20of%20286%2C306%20metric%20tons.

(2)https://www.promusa.org/Banana+pseudostem

(3)https://www.ecoideaz.com/innovative-green-ideas/producing-banana-fiber-and-paper-
from-waste#old
https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/26/17/5282/htm

(4)https://ap.fftc.org.tw/article/755

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(8)https://www.researchgate.net/publication/
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(9)https://www.fibre2fashion.com/industry-article/7654/banana-fibre-a-revolution-in-
textiles

(10)https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.ijser.org/
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aw1fOoeI0g9KLDP-7LMCQ9Ba

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 PATTAO NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL
Senior High School Department
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(11)https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.mdpi.com/
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(12)https://www.intechopen.com/chapters/64570

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